Quality Assurance Lead - SDET - Java/API Testing

Overview At PNC, our people are our greatest differentiator and competitive advantage in the markets we serve. We are all united in delivering the best experience for our customers. We work together each day to foster an inclusive workplace culture where all of our employees feel respected, valued and have an opportunity to contribute to the company’s success. As a QA Lead within PNC's Lending Technology organization, you will be based in Pittsburgh PA, Birmingham AL or Dallas TX. PNC is an in-office company that fosters a supportive culture where employees can thrive and achieve balance. We encourage candidates to connect with their recruiter and hiring manager to understand workplace expectations and ensure the role aligns with their goals.   PNC will not provide sponsorship for employment visas or participate in STEM OPT for this position.

As a QA Lead (SDET), you will play a critical role in delivering high-quality, scalable, and secure applications across enterprise platforms. This role requires a hands-on technical leader with a strong Software Development Engineer in Test (SDET) mindset who can design, build, and lead automation frameworks while guiding distributed QA teams. The ideal candidate combines deep technical expertise in automation with leadership experience supporting both onshore and offshore teams.

Lead QA strategy, planning, and execution across multiple projects and agile teams Provide technical leadership and mentorship to onshore and offshore QA teams Design, develop, and maintain robust automation frameworks for UI and API testing Act as a hands-on contributor in test automation development using Java-based frameworks Drive quality engineering practices aligned with SDET principles (shift-left, CI/CD integration, test-driven development) Collaborate with development, product, and DevOps teams to ensure high-quality deliverables Define and track quality metrics, test coverage, and defect trends Support continuous integration pipelines by integrating automated tests into CI/CD workflows Ensure test environments, test data management, and execution strategies are optimized Preferred Qualifications Proven experience as a QA Lead / SDET Lead in enterprise environments Experience leading or coordinating work across onshore and offshore teams Strong programming experience in Java Solid expertise in API testing (RESTful services, tools/frameworks, automation) Hands-on automation experience with: Selenium with Cucumber or Selenium with Karate Demonstrated experience building and scaling automation frameworks from scratch Deep understanding of SDET practices and quality engineering principles Experience with CI/CD tools (e.g., Jenkins, Azure DevOps, or similar) Strong knowledge of Agile/Scrum methodologies Nice-to-have Qualifications Exposure to cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, or GCP) Experience with performance or security testing tools Familiarity with containerization tools (Docker, Kubernetes) Experience in financial services or enterprise banking environments PNC Employees take pride in our reputation and to continue building upon that we expect our employees to be: Customer Focused - Knowledgeable of the values and practices that align customer needs and satisfaction as primary considerations in all business decisions and able to leverage that information in creating customized customer solutions. Managing Risk - Assessing and effectively managing all of the risks associated with their business objectives and activities to ensure they adhere to and support PNC's Enterprise Risk Management Framework.

Successful candidates must demonstrate appropriate knowledge, skills, and abilities for a role. Listed below are skills, competencies, work experience, education, and required certifications/licensures needed to be successful in this position.

Analytical Thinking, API Testing, Controls Testing, Corporate Governance, Java Testing,